1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tools having articulated opposing jaws, such as, for example, forceps, hemostats and scissors, and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to such tools that are inexpensive to manufacture and that are preferably disposable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tools having articulated opposing jaws, that is, forceps hemostats, or scissors, are well known and are often made of metal. These tools may be used in medical, cosmetic, manufacturing and other applications. In applications such as, for example, surgery, the tools are either made of metal and can be resterilized after each use or are made of plastic so that they may be discarded. Examples of disposable medical forceps, also called "tweezers", are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Metcalf 1,380,232; Johnson 2,082,062; Thomas 2,818,866; Whitton et al. 3,140,715; Eizenberg 3,367,336; Bean 3,648,702; Hamlon 3,392,727; Shannon 3,653,389; Chester 3,815,609; Read et al. 3,817,078; Weston 3,906,957; Huston et al. 3,977,410; Wannag 4,044,771 and Lahay 4,212,305.
Prior art tweezers made of plastic and intended to be discarded after use, have the disadvantage that the plastic material from which they are made must be sufficiently resilent and flexible to provide a spring-action movement of two opposing arms that are joined at their ends, while also, the plastic material must be sufficiently rigid in the region of the working ends of the jaws to enable positive gripping of an object. Thus, a disadvantageous trade-off often exists between providing arms that are sufficiently resilient to enable spring action movement of the arms and providing working ends that are sufficiently rigid to enable positive gripping.
Moreover, prior art disposable tools have opposing jaws that tend to flex laterally with respect to each other during use. In forceps and hemostats wherein it is desirable that the jaws move in a single plane of movement to provide positive gripping, lateral flexing may cause unwanted release of the object being grasped. In scissors, lateral flexing of the jaws may result in inability of the scissors to cut. In surgical applications, undesirable lateral flexing of the jaws may result injury to the patient.